The journalists raised slogans in favour of freedom of press and against illegal actions of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and cable operators who are depriving the viewers of their favourite news channels.

It is pertinent to mention here that the journalist associations have set up permanent protest camps in front of all press clubs in various cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Muzaffarabad.

While addressing the protesting journalists at the protest camp in front of the National Press Club Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), President Afzal Butt said the government should not test their determination because come what may they would not make any compromise over freedom of press.

“There are still no-go areas for Geo Television in various cities and we demand of the government to take notice of it that if this leading news channel has completed its sentence of 15 days, then why cable operators or other elements are trying to block its transmission,” he said.

PFUJ Secretary General Khursheed Abbasi said the history of journalists has been stuffed with sacrifices and if it is guide then every one should come to know that media organisations faced hard times but refused to bow down before any kind of dictatorship. He also regretted that Geo News was not fully restored and all the channels of Geo family are pushed back and not being aired on their original numbers on the cable.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Ali Raza Alvi said the journalists have a firm resolve that they would oppose any move made against the freedom of press that has been earned after rendering great sacrifices.

“Pemra is not following rules and procedures so it is responsibility of the government to ensure it follows the law and avoids making any illegal steps,” he said.Karachi Press Club (KPC) President Imtiaz Faran and Secretary General Amir Lateef while addressing at the protest camp in front of KPC vowed to continue raising voice against discrimination against news channels and stated the government should avoid doing illegal steps against media organisations.

In Quetta, President of Balochistan Union of Journalists Irfan Saeed while speaking at the protest camp said they would not stop their protest unless the government ensures that all news channels are available on cable on their original numbers and all newspapers are properly distributed across the country.

Similarly, President of Faisalabad Union of Journalists Shamsul Islam Naz and President of Punjab Union of Journalists Waseem Farooq also addressed the protesting journalists and condemned the measures being taken by some quarters to block transmission of news channels and circulation of newspapers like Jang and The News.

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The announcement came at a meeting of Insaf Group chaired by its secretary Rana Naveed Ahmad Joiya Advocate. Lawyers including Sharif Sohdal, Nadeem A Malik, Rana Tanveer Joiya and Syed Ihsan Shah Hamdani in their speeches added that a petition against ARY, Samaa and other TV channels had already been fixed for hearing at a session court on June 12. Many complainants were ready to move courts and police against the cables network operators in Kasur who were promoting vulgarity by showing Indian channels but banning the Geo News, they said.

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Justice Shahid Hameed Dar issued the order on a petition of Khalid Arain, president of Cable Operators Association Pakistan. Through his counsel, the petitioner submitted that police and government functionaries were pressurising them to get the transmission of Geo TV restored. He said in such circumstances, lives of people associated with cable network and their infrastructure was in danger. He said the police officers and other government functionaries were threatening cable operators throughout the province.

He requested the court to take notice of these threats to the cable operators and ensure protection to their business and lives.After hearing the arguments, the court sought comments from the respondents within seven days.

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Prominent lawyer, constitutional expert and former judge of the Sindh High Court Justice (retd) Rasheed A Razvi condemned the act of cable operators of shutting down forcibly the country’s number one and most popular news channel Geo News and other channels of the group.

Razvi, while talking to this correspondent, was of the view that cable operators should not be allowed to decide about the closure, ranking and numbers of any TV channel. “They are just service providers, their role is just like the hawkers of newspapers and how can a hawker refuse to deliver a newspaper of our choice by saying that he does not agree with the policy of the paper?” he argued.

Rasheed Razvi urged the federal government to assert its authority and take action against the cable operators.

According to him, Geo and Jang Group had not crossed any legal or ethical limit. Razvi said the media was the fourth pillar of any state and in Pakistan the media had always remained at the forefront for the restoration of democracy and independence of the judiciary.He added the legal fraternity should also stand with the media as they stood with the lawyers community during the struggle for the independence of the judiciary.

President Sindh High Court Bar Association, Hyderabad, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, also termed the cable operators’ decision to put Geo on the last numbers and impose a self-appointed ban “against the law and principle”.

According to the Pemra rules, he said, cable operators are not allowed to push down or ban any TV channel.Durrani said that freedom of speech was guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan and all the institutions of the country, whether they liked it or not, came under the Constitution. “No institution is above the law. If anyone illegally or by force tries to curb press freedom by banning the Jang Group, the legal fraternity of Sindh will stand with the media and the Jang Group.”

Durrani said the legal fraternity could launch a protest move like it did for the restoration of the judiciary in 2007. At that crucial time when illegal and unconstitutional actions were taken, the media remained firm and stood by the lawyers and this time the lawyers will be with the media.

President Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed said that freedom of the press was essential in a democratic society and no institution was above the law.He termed the cable operators’ act to push the Geo TV channel to the last numbers or ban it on their own unlawful and said the Jang Group should move a contempt of court application against these operators.

“No cable operator has the right to decide the ranking or closure of any TV channel,” he said. “Pemra should also take action against this illegal act.”Ahmed said that nobody had the right to put the stamp of being a traitor on anyone. “As far as I believe, all staff members of the Jang Group are patriotic.”

Salahuddin also criticised other media institutions for continuing to spew venom against Geo and Jang Group. “They should remember that this will not stop only at the Jang Group, as the undemocratic forces and anti-media forces, which are against the independence of the media and freedom of expression, will also ban their institutions someday. The journalist community should strengthen their own ranks.”

Lawyers of the Larkana Division pledged to launch a protest campaign if Geo TV was banned.President High Court Bar Association Asif Soomro said that journalists had dedicated their lives to a noble cause and many journalists had sacrificed their lives.

He said that Geo and Jang Group are the voice of the whole country and no restriction in this regard will be accepted.He said the attack on Hamid Mir was an attack on the freedom of expression.

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